TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - There have only been eight coaches to coach baseball at Florida State University.
Mike Martin has led the charge since 1980.
Before 11, there was Dick Howser, Woody Woodward, and then Jack Stallings. Stallings was the first to really put Florida State on the map.
Stallings passed away last week at the age of 87. Tuesday, his life was celebrated in Tallahassee.
Coach Stallings was the first coach to have success at Florida State. He led the Seminoles to a College World Series runner-up finish in 1970, a season where they were 49 9-1.
Coach Stallings career spans well beyond Florida State though...
He coached at Wake Forest for nine years before taking over the Seminole Program and then spent 24 years at Georgia Southern, where he closed out his career in 1999. His jersey? Retired at Georgia Southern.
And for those that knew him best, they'll remember a man who's career reached hundreds, not just in Tallahassee.
"He spent about 25 years in Statesboro, he's more than a legend up there. He's in the Hall of Fame. Before that, at Wake Fores," said Rocky Beavis. "Lots of folks in Tallahassee forget that he was a great coach at Wake Forest before he came to Florida State and is also in their hall of fame as a player and a coach."
A celebration of Coach Stallings life will be held in Statesboro on September 7.
